MaryJo Webster

MaryJo Webster has been data editor at the Star Tribune since 2015. She started her career as a reporter at small daily papers in Minnesota and Wisconsin before attending the University of Missouri-Columbia to specialize in investigative reporting and data journalism. While earning her master's degree, she also worked for Investigative Reporters and Editors, where she polished her data skills and taught others. 

After graduating in 2001, Webster became the first data editor at the Center for Public Integrity in Washington, D.C., where she oversaw an investigation of soft money flowing from state political party committees to federal committees. She spent several years as sports data editor for USA Today, then moved home to Minnesota and spent nine years as data editor for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, followed by a short stint as a data reporter with Digital First Media. Webster, who also has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, teaches at the University of Minnesota, and is a regular speaker at journalism conferences. She lives in a Minneapolis suburb with her husband and two children.